Objective To update existing knowledge on burnout in university students, in Cuba and the world. Material and methods Document review and literature from March 2010 to January 2012. The databases searched were Medline and Cochrane through PubMed. Results and discussion It is clear that there are multiple possible causes for the existence of the university student burnout. They have not been studied and systematized to have a proper answer or solution to protect the future health of our university graduates. In diagnostic instruments, this is not a unanimous view among experts, nor on the prevalence and incidence rates, since criteria vary for each study. Conclusions There are very few studies of burnout applied to undergraduate college students, and there are not defined the syndrome difference in such students regarding mid-level groups, upper secondary and graduate students. However there are obvious manifestations of the occurrence of this phenomenon in this important university student population and the specifics of their study and treatment.